By dawn, the academy had changed. The air hummed with pressure, like a storm hiding inside the walls. Lights flickered, doors locked and unlocked at random, and a low siren pulsed through the halls in uneven beats.
Kael sat on the edge of his bunk, hands pressed to his temples. The system notifications hadn't stopped since midnight.
> Rewrite Field expanding — uncontrolled nodes detected.
Containment recommended.
Lucen had his coat half on, pacing. "They just sealed the southern wing. No one's allowed out. What did you do this time?"
Kael lifted his head slowly. "Maybe nothing. Maybe everything."
Ryn stood near the door, jaw clenched. "Varrin's called everyone with active Crests to the training dome. Full lockdown order. They're calling it Protocol Zero."
Lucen let out a weak laugh. "Zero as in… start over?"
Ryn shot him a look. "As in wipe the problem clean."
Kael exhaled. "Then I'm the problem."
---
The dome was already crowded when they arrived. Hundreds of students, instructors, guards — all standing in tense silence under the glass roof. Rain fell above them, but no sound reached inside.
Varrin stood at the center with Elara and two masked officials in black coats. The crest on their shoulders wasn't from the academy. It was higher. Government tier.
When Kael entered, the murmurs rose like static.
"That's him."
"The rewrite host."
"They said he can alter code itself."
Varrin's voice cut through. "Quiet!"
He turned slowly, eyes finding Kael. "Step forward."
Kael did. Every pair of eyes followed him. The rain outside quickened, like the sky itself leaned in to listen.
Varrin spoke flatly. "The containment field around the west wing collapsed two hours ago. The distortion spread to three other sectors. We've confirmed it's linked to your Crest."
Kael didn't argue. "Then isolate me."
One of the masked officials stepped forward. "That's the plan."
They carried a metal ring — faintly glowing, lined with runes Kael had never seen before.
Lucen whispered behind him, "That looks friendly."
Varrin ignored the comment. "It's a Null Seal. Blocks all mana output."
Kael looked at the ring, then at Varrin. "Will it work on Rewrite energy?"
Varrin hesitated. That was his answer.
Elara said softly, "We'll find out."
They placed the ring on the ground. Kael stepped inside. As it closed, a cold rush spread through him — the air tightened, sound dulled, even his heartbeat felt slower.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then the system flared.
> Rewrite Field interference detected.
Null Seal pattern: absorbing core code.
Warning: containment breach predicted.
Kael's vision doubled. The ring glowed brighter, lines shifting like liquid metal.
"Stop the sequence!" Varrin shouted.
Too late. The seal pulsed once — then shattered like glass.
A wave of invisible force slammed through the dome. Every light went out.
When the glow cleared, Kael was still standing. The ring lay in molten fragments around his feet.
Ryn whispered, "He absorbed it."
Lucen groaned. "Of course he did."
Kael didn't move. His whole body trembled. "It wasn't me. It tried to rewrite me first."
Elara grabbed Varrin's arm. "We can't keep him here. He's a live reactor."
Varrin nodded grimly. "Then we escort him out before the upper division makes it worse."
The officials stepped forward. "You have no authority. The host is now under central command."
Varrin's tone dropped to something dangerous. "You'll kill half the academy if you try to contain him here."
Kael's voice came low. "Then let me leave."
The air went still.
One official replied, "You expect us to release you?"
Kael met his gaze. "No. But I can walk out anyway."
---
The next second blurred. The glass roof fractured without sound. Kael moved — or rather, the world moved around him. One moment he stood in the center; the next, he was at the far gate, the metal door rewritten into open air.
Students screamed. Guards raised weapons but the mana bullets dissolved midair, twisting into harmless sparks.
Ryn shouted, "Kael!"
He turned once, eyes glowing faint silver. "Tell Varrin I'll fix it. Just not here."
Lucen yelled, "Fix it where? The world?"
Kael almost smiled. "If that's what it takes."
Then he stepped into the rain and vanished.
---
Two hours later.
Varrin stood in the broken dome, arms crossed. Elara beside him. The officials were gone, furious and silent.
Elara spoke first. "You think he'll survive outside?"
Varrin nodded once. "If anyone can rewrite the rules, it's him."
She frowned. "Then what's our move?"
He looked at the shattered seal, still faintly glowing. "Prepare for when he comes back. Because he will."
---
Meanwhile.
Kael stopped miles from the city, standing by an old railway bridge. His clothes were soaked, his vision unsteady. Every few seconds, the world flickered — bits of code, faint numbers drifting like dust.
> Rewrite Threshold: 9%.
Containment: none.
He whispered to himself, "Nine percent and the sky already looks like data."
Lightning cracked across the horizon, forming strange symbols that faded as fast as they appeared.
He sat down under the bridge, finally breathing slow. The rain hit the iron rails above like a ticking clock.
He had no idea what came next. But for the first time, he wasn't afraid.
The system pulsed one last time before quieting.
> Adaptive rewrite mode: unlocked.
Directive pending: survival.
Kael closed his eyes. "Then let's survive."